| SBK Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | EMI |
| Founded | late 1988 |
| Distributor(s) | ERG |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | US |
SBK Records was a record label of the EMI Group that was founded in 1988.
Stephen Swid, Martin Bandier, and Charles Koppelman formed the production company SBK in 1989 after they purchased the music publishing division of CBS Records in 1986.
The partners sold the company to EMI Music Publishing (for a reported US$295 million), and launched SBK Records. It was distributed through the short-lived EMI Records Group North America, or ERG. In 1989, Daniel Glass joined SBK as Senior Vice President of Promotion. In 1990, Glass was promoted to Executive Vice President/General Manager. With the consolidation of SBK, Chrysalis, Wild Pitch and EMI Records USA several years later into EMI Records Group North America, he rose to President-CEO.
The label had several hits with Vanilla Ice, Jesus Jones, Boy George, Wilson Phillips, Ya Kid K, McQueen Street,[1] Technotronic, Blur, and Billy Dean.
SBK Records is part of the EMI Group, but is dormant as of 2007, when Martin Bandier left EMI Publishing for Sony Corp.'s Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
SBK is also famed for signing MC Ray Roll, the first Latino emcee and famed Rock Steady Crew member, and Selena, the first female crossover Latin artist.
The 1994 Album The Divine Comedy by Milla Jovovich was released through SBK and was critically acclaimed. The album is still in print since its release.